The company has seen a surge in inquiries spurred by wider economic growth, which is reflected in an upturn in demand across the building services sector. Construction as a whole is expected to grow by as much as 13% this year with the commercial building market likely to rise sharply as delayed projects come back on stream, according to recent figures from the Construction Products Association (CPA).

As a result, recruitment companies are reporting growing demand for skilled workers. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) recorded 1.29 million active job vacancies in late March, which is almost the same as a normal year despite the impact of the worst recession in two centuries.

Lochinvar was able to retain all its staff through the lockdown periods and this year it has already added marketing specialist Richard Reid; technical support manager Will Griffiths; customer service assistant Sara Nevett; and trainee internal sales assistant Natalie Hands to help deal with growing demand.

The addition of Will Griffiths is a particularly important step for Lochinvar because after-sales customer support is a key factor in the company’s drive to add value to its customer relationships.

All of this follows the creation of two senior regional sales manager roles in 2019, with Dave Slevin and Scott Mason taking these new positions, and reporting to Lochinvar’s sales director Liam Elmore. It also appointed two new area sales managers: Dean Thornton to cover London, West Sussex and Surrey and Will Brook for the South West of England.

These key appointments were part of Lochinvar’s goal to increase UK coverage and supported the launch of a series of new products including high efficiency, low NOxboilers, stainless steel water heaters and additions to its range of air source heat pumps. Balancing the roles of the internal and external sales teams enabled Lochinvar to maintain a high level of customer care, while servicing the increased demand for enewable technologies.

“There is growing confidence in the market and we are receiving positive signals from our customers,” said Lochinvar general manager Eelco van Driel. “We were able to retain our staff despite the impact of the pandemic on the wider industry and that has given us a strong base from which to build back quickly.

“Like many other companies, we have embraced digital technologies, greater automation, and new ways of working, but at the end of the day, a company is only as strong as its people. We are delighted to be able to keep growing our workforce and investing in their training and development as they are the key to our future,” added Mr van Driel.